By: BOB LANG OF THE POST AND COURIER
Originally Published on: 3/24/01
Page: G 4
Homebuilder now offering high-end homes
in Mount Pleasant One Color and Four B&W photos by Wade
Spees/Staff: Homes in Centex's new Lowcountry Series line feature
large porches and drive-under garages (440874). This Centex
Lowcountry Series house has an optional sun room off the living
room (440875). Sunlight filters through windows in a new
Lowcountry Series home at The Gallery at Charleston National
(440873). All Lowcountry Series master bathrooms come with a
cultured marble garden tub and separate glass-enclosed shower
stall (440872). Wooden steps lead to the main entrance of this
Lowcountry Series house. Most floor plans allow for an optional
elevator ( MOUNT PLEASANT-In case you haven't noticed, Centex has
gone upscale. Sure, the high-volume Dallas-based company still
builds plenty of entry level homes around Charleston. But it's
also begun building larger, more upscale homes that cater to this
area's healthy step-up market.
Which is why Centex has introduced a new
line of home designs - the Lowcountry Series - created especially
for coastal South Carolina.
The designs reflect traditional Southern
architecture, with wide porches, dormer windows and high
ceilings. All 10 floorplans in the series include drive-under
garages.
The homes range in size from about 2,000
to 3,100 square feet and in price from the $260s to the low
$300s.
"We are very excited about this new
product," said Jay Thrower, president of Centex's Coastal
Carolina Division.
"The Lowcountry Series demonstrates
our ability to design and build higher-end homes at a tremendous
value to our customers," he said.
Lowcountry Series homes are available in
three of Centex's Charleston-area neighborhoods, and they're all
located in Mount Pleasant: The Gallery at Charleston National,
Magnolia Woods at Seaside Farms and The Isles at RiverTowne
Country Club.
A number of the new homes are already up
in Charleston National and Seaside Farms. RiverTowne Country Club
is brand new, and construction on three model homes won't be
completed for a few more weeks. That neighborhood should be ready
for residential construction later in the spring, said Stacey
Berndt, operational marketing manager for the Coastal Carolina
Division.
Each neighborhood offers wooded, marsh,
pond and/or golf fairway homesites. Buyers can purchase a home in
inventory or have one built from among the floorplans.
One- and two-story plans (in addition to
the ground floor) are available, each with two exterior
elevations in a choice of cement fiberboard siding or stucco.
All plans include a screened porch,
which for an additional fee can be made into a sunroom. Some of
the designs have room for an optional elevator or dumbwaiter.
"When we were developing the
Lowcountry Series, one of our primary objectives was to create
homes that had a friendly, nostalgic feeling, but with the kind
of flexible interior space and features that today's
sophisticated home buyer demands," Thrower said.
Yvonne Powell, an agent at Charleston
National, said the drive-under garages have been a big hit with
customers.
"It's the closest thing to having a
basement in Charleston," Powell said. "A lot of people
are excited about having so much storage room in addition to room
for their cars."
The floorplans feature large great rooms
and open kitchens, with plenty of natural light coming in from
multiple windows. Extra molding on the walls and high-end
plumbing fixtures help give the homes a luxurious feel, Powell
said.
"When you walk through the front
door, you get the ambience of being in an old Charleston
home," she said. "Then you see to the back of the house
and how it blossoms with vaulted ceilings and sunrooms. The
layout really is exciting."
Said Thrower: "We believe home
buyers will be impressed with the fine craftsmanship that goes
into the construction of each Lowcountry Series home. It's the
kind of craftsmanship that has earned Centex extremely high
satisfaction ratings from our customers." Centex is among
the nation's top volume homebuilders, with $5.7 billion in
revenue in 1999. The company is building homes in more than 75
markets in 22 states.
Centex is opening two additional
neighborhoods this year in the Lowcountry: The Bridges of
Summerville and Moss Creek at Grand Oaks in West Ashley.
For information on those neighborhoods,
call Centex's main office locally at 740-7270.
Lang covers automotive and real estate
news. Contact him at 937-5594 or at blang@postandcourier.com.
NEIGHBORHOODS
Magnolia Woods at Seaside Farms
The Gallery at Charleston National
The Isles at RiverTowne Country Club
BUILDER
Centex Homes
MORE INFO
Seaside Farms: 884-7499
Charleston National: 881-1225
RiverTowne Country Club: 849-7902
Each neighborhood has its own sales
center. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday 1-6 p.m.
HOME DESIGN
Lowcountry Series
PRICE RANGE
Mid $200s to the low $300s
SQUARE FOOTAGE
About 2,000 to 3,100
INTERIOR FEATURES
9-foot and higher ceilings
Oak flooring in the foyer and dining
room
Fully cased windows
Levered door hardware
Cultured marble vanity tops in all
bathrooms
24-inch-deep cabinet over refrigerator
EXTERIOR FEATURES
Elevated drive-under design
Fiber cement siding
Front and rear lawns sodded
2 palmetto trees
Screened porch
Wood front porch with wooden steps
WARRANTY
One year limited warranty
10-year limited structural warranty
PROPERTY TAXES
About $1,560 a year on a $275,000
owner-occupied home
AREA ATTRACTIONS
Towne Centre shopping complex, Palmetto
Grande movie theaters, Slammin' Sammy's driving range, public
parks and beaches.
DISTANCE TO CHARLESTON
Between 8 and 14 miles to downtown area.
HOUSING TRENDS IN NORTHERN MOUNT
PLEASANT
Number of sales in fourth quarter of
2000: 54 (up from 40 in the fourth quarter of 1999).
Average sales price in fourth quarter of
2000: $236,100 (up from $206,600 in fourth quarter of 1999).
Median sales price in fourth quarter of
2000: $208,000 (up from $194,000 in the fourth quarter of 1999).